The second edition of the ICC World Test Championship is scheduled to run from August 2021 to March 2023. The first edition was a great success, featuring some thrilling matches that helped Test cricket gain popularity.
The second cycle of the WTC will kick start with the 5-match Test series between England and India, starting from 4th August 2021. New Zealand are the current defending champions.
Format
Similar to the previous edition, the tournament will be played over two years. Each team is scheduled to play six different opponents, three at home and three away. Each series will consist of two to five Test matches.
Participants
The 9 full members of the ICC who will participate are:
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- India
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
The three full members of the ICC who will not participate are:
- Afghanistan
- Ireland
- Zimbabwe
Number of Matches
The number of matches to be played will be different for each team, but the number of series will be the same. England will play 21 matches, the highest, while India will play 19 matches. Only India, England, and Australia will participate in the 5-match and 4-match Test series.
| Team | Total | Home | Away | Not Scheduled To Play Against |
| Australia | 19 | 10 | 9 | Bangladesh and New Zealand |
| Bangladesh | 12 | 6 | 6 | Australia and England |
| England | 22 | 11 | 11 | Bangladesh and Sri Lanka |
| India | 18 | 8 | 10 | Pakistan and West Indies |
| New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | Australia and West Indies |
| Pakistan | 13 | 7 | 6 | India and South Africa |
| South Africa | 15 | 7 | 8 | Pakistan and Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka | 12 | 6 | 6 | England and South Africa |
| West Indies | 13 | 7 | 6 | India and New Zealand |
New Points System
To make calculations easier and more streamlined, ICC has changed the points system from the previous edition. In the previous edition, 120 points were given to a series and teams got points according to the number of matches played in the series. It created confusion as some teams played fewer games and some played more.
This new edition will see each match worth 12 points, regardless of how many matches there are in a series. Teams will be ranked on the percentage of points they won from the matches they have played. The top two teams will meet in the final, which is to be played in 2023.
- Points for a win: 12
- Points for a draw: 4
- Points for a tie: 6
- Point deduction for slow over rates: 1 point for every over they fall behind
| Matches in series | Total points available |
| 2 | 24 |
| 3 | 36 |
| 4 | 48 |
| 5 | 60 |
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